nature, to whom alone he owed nearly all that characterized him as
an artist and a man. Warm in his affections, of deep feeling, and
possessed of a vigorous imagination, with correct and penetrating
observation, he needed little extraneous aid to make him what
he became, the first engraver on wood that England has produced.
Look at his tail-pieces, Reader, and say if you ever saw so much
life represented before, from the glutton who precedes the Great
Black-backed Gull, to the youngsters flying their kite, the
disappointed sportsman who, by shooting a magpie, has lost a woodcock,
the horse endeavouring to reach the water, the bull roaring near the
style, or the poor beggar attacked by the rich man’s mastiff. As you
turn each successive leaf, from beginning to end of his admirable
books, scenes calculated to excite your admiration everywhere present
themselves. Assuredly you will agree with me in thinking that in his
peculiar path none has equalled him. There may be men now, or some may
in after years appear, whose works may in some respects rival or even
excel his, but not the less must THOMAS BEWICK of Newcastle-on-Tyne
be considered in the art of engraving on wood what LINNÆUS will ever
be in natural history, though not the founder, yet the enlightened
improver and illustrious promoter.
THE GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL.
_LARUS MARINUS_, LINN.
PLATE CCXLI. MALE.
High in the thin keen air, far above the rugged crags of the desolate
shores of Labrador, proudly sails the tyrant Gull, floating along on
almost motionless wing, like an eagle in his calm and majestic flight.
On widely extended pinions, he moves in large circles, constantly
eyeing the objects below. Harsh and loud are his cries, and with
no pleasant feeling do they come on the winged multitudes below.
Now onward he sweeps, passes over each rocky bay, visits the little
islands, and shoots off towards the mossy heaths, attracted perhaps
by the notes of the Grous or some other birds. As he flies over each
estuary, lake, or pool, the breeding birds prepare to defend their
unfledged broods, or ensure their escape from the powerful beak of
their remorseless spoiler. Even the shoals of the finny tribes sink
deeper into the waters as he approaches; the young birds become silent
in their nests or seek for safety in the clefts of the rocks; the
Guillemots and Gannets dread to look up, and the other Gulls, unable
to cope with the destroyer, give way as he advances. Far off among
the rolling billows, he spies the carcass of some monster of the
deep, and, on steady wing, glides off towards it. Alighting on the
huge whale, he throws upwards his head, opens his bill, and, louder
and fiercer than ever, sends his cries through the air. Leisurely
he walks over the putrid mass, and now, assured that all is safe, he
tears, tugs, and swallows piece after piece, until he is crammed to
the throat, when he lays himself down surfeited and exhausted, to rest
for a while in the feeble sheen of the northern sun. Great, however,
are the powers of his stomach, and ere long the half-putrid food which
vulture-like he has devoured, is digested. Like all gluttons, he loves
variety, and away he flies to some well-known isle, where thousands
of young birds or eggs are to be found. There, without remorse, he
breaks the shells, swallows their contents, and begins leisurely to
devour the helpless young. Neither the cries of the parents, nor all
their attempts to drive the plunderer away, can induce him to desist
until he has again satisfied his ever-craving appetite. But although
tyrannical, the Great Gull is a coward, and meanly does he sneak off
when he sees the Skua fly up, which, smaller as it is, yet evinces
a thoughtless intrepidity, that strikes the ravenous and merciless
bird with terror.
If we compare this species with some other of its tribe, and mark
its great size, its powerful flight, and its robust constitution, we
cannot but wonder to find its range so limited during the breeding
season. Few individuals are to be found northward of the entrance into
Baffin’s Bay, and rarely are they met with beyond this, as no mention
is made of them by Dr RICHARDSON in the Fauna Boreali-Americana.
Along our coast, none breed farther south than the eastern extremity
of Maine. The western shores of Labrador, along an extent of about
three hundred miles, afford the stations to which this species resorts
during spring and summer; there it is abundant, and there it was that
I studied its habits.
The farthest limits of the winter migrations of the young, so far as
I have observed, are the middle portions of the eastern coast of the
Floridas. While at St Augustine, in the winter of 1831, I saw several
pairs keeping company with the young Brown Pelican, more as a matter
of interest than of friendship, as they frequently chased them as if
to force them to disgorge a portion of their earnings, acting much
in the same manner as the Lestris does toward the smaller Gulls, but
without any effect. They were extremely shy, alighted only on the
outer edges of the outer sand-bars, and could not be approached, as
they regularly walked off before my party the moment any of us moved
towards them, until reaching the last projecting point, they flew
off, and never stopped until out of sight. At what period they left
that coast I am unable to say. Some are seen scattered along our
sea-shores, from the Floridas to the Middle States, there being but
few old birds among them; but the species does not become abundant
until beyond the eastern extremities of the Connecticut and Long
Island, when their number greatly increases the farther you proceed.
On the whole of that extensive range, these birds are very shy and
wary, and those which are procured are merely “chance shots.” They
seldom advance far up the bays, unless forced to do so by severe
weather or heavy gales; and although I have seen this bird on our
great lakes, I do not remember having ever observed an individual on
any of our eastern rivers, at a distance from the sea, whereas the
_Larus argentatus_ is frequently found in such places.
Towards the commencement of summer, these wandering birds are seen
abandoning the waters of the ocean to tarry for a while on the wild
shores of Labrador, dreary and desolate to man, but to them delightful
as affording all that they can desire. One by one they arrive, the
older individuals first. As they view from afar the land of their
birth, that moment they emit their loud cries, with all the joy a
traveller feels when approaching his loved home. The males sooner
or later fall in with the females of their choice, and together they
proceed to some secluded sand-bar, where they fill the air with their
furious laughs until the rocks echo again. Should the student of nature
happen to be a distant spectator of these meetings, he too must have
much enjoyment. Each male bows, moves around his mate, and no doubt
discloses to her the ardour of his love. Matters are managed to the
satisfaction of all parties, yet day after day for a while, at the
retreat of the waters, they meet as if by mutual agreement. Now you
see them dressing their plumage, now partially expanding their wings
to the sun; some lay themselves comfortably down on the sand, while
others, supported by one foot, stand side by side. The waters again
advance, and the Gulls all move off in search of food. At length the
time has arrived; small parties of a few pairs fly towards the desert
isles. Some remain in the nearest to prepare their nests, the rest
proceed, until each pair has found a suitable retreat, and before a
fortnight has elapsed, incubation has commenced.
The nest of this species is usually placed on the bare rock of some
low island, sometimes beneath a projecting shelf, sometimes in a
wide fissure. In Labrador it is formed of moss and seaweeds carefully
arranged, and has a diameter of about two feet, being raised on the
edges to the height of five or six inches, but seldom more than two
inches thick in the centre, where feathers, dry grass, and other
materials are added. The eggs are three, and in no instance have
I found more. They are two inches and seven-eighths in length, by
two inches and one-eighth in breadth, broadly ovate, rough but not
granulated, of a pale earthy greenish-grey colour, irregularly blotched
and spotted with brownish-black, dark umber, and dull purple. Like
those of most other Gulls, they afford good eating. This species lays
from the middle of May to that of June, and raises only one brood
in the season. The birds never leave their eggs for any length of
time, until the young make their appearance. Both sexes incubate,
the sitting bird being supplied with food by the other. During the
first week, the young are fed by having their supplies disgorged
into their bill, but when they have attained some size, the food
is dropped beside or before them. When they are approached by man,
they walk with considerable speed towards some hiding place, or to
the nearest projecting ledge, beneath which they squat. When five
or six weeks old, they take to the water, to ensure their escape,
and swim with great buoyancy. If caught, they cry in the manner of
their parents. On the 18th of June, several small ones were procured
and placed on the deck of the Ripley, where they walked with ease
and picked up the food thrown to them. As soon as one was about to
swallow its portion, another would run up, seize it, tug at it, and
if stronger, carry it off and devour it. On the 23d of that month,
two individuals, several weeks old, and partly fledged, were also
brought on board. Their notes, although feeble, perfectly resembled
those of their parents. They ate greedily of every thing that was
offered to them. When fatigued they sat with their tarsi placed on the
ground and extended forward, in the manner of all the Herons, which
gave them a very ludicrous appearance. Ere a month had elapsed, they
appeared to have formed a complete acquaintance with the cook and
several of the sailors, had become quite fat, and conducted themselves
much like Vultures, for if a dead Duck, or even a Gull of their own
species, were thrown to them, they would tear it in pieces, drink
the blood, and swallow the flesh in large morsels, each trying to rob
the others of what they had torn from the carcass. They never drank
water, but not unfrequently washed the blood and filth from their
bills, by immersing them and then shaking the head violently. These
birds were fed until they were nearly able to fly. Now and then, the
sailors would throw them overboard while we were in harbour. This
seemed to gratify the birds as well as the sailors, for they would
swim about, wash themselves, and dress their plumage, after which
they would make for the sides, and would be taken on board. During
a violent gale, one night, while we were at anchor in the harbour
of Bras d’Or, our bark rolled heavily, and one of our pets went over
the side and swam to the shore, where, after considerable search next
day, it was found shivering by the lee of a rock. On being brought to
its brothers, it was pleasant to see their mutual congratulations,
which were extremely animated. Before we left the coast, they would
sometimes fly of their own accord into the water to bathe, but could
not return to the deck without assistance, although they endeavoured
to do so. I had become much attached to them, and now and then thought
they looked highly interesting, as they lay panting on their sides
on the deck, although the thermometer did not rise above 55°. Their
enmity to my son’s pointer was quite remarkable, and as that animal
was of a gentle and kindly disposition, they would tease him, bite
him, and drive him fairly from the deck into the cabin. A few days
after leaving St George’s Bay in Newfoundland, we were assailed by a
violent gale, and obliged to lie-to. Next day one of the Gulls was
washed overboard. It tried to reach the vessel again, but in vain;
the gale continued; the sailors told me the bird was swimming towards
the shore, which was not so far off as we could have wished, and
which it probably reached in safety. The other was given to my friend
Lieutenant GREEN of the United States Army, at Eastport in Maine. In
one of his letters to me the following winter, he said that the young
_Larus marinus_ was quite a pet in the garrison, and doing very well,
but that no perceptible change had taken place in its plumage.
On referring to my journal again, I find that while we were at anchor
at the head of St George’s Bay, the sailors caught many codlings,
of which each of our young Gulls swallowed daily two, measuring from
eight to ten inches in length. It was curious to see them after such
a meal: the form of the fish could be traced along the neck, which
for a while they were obliged to keep stretched out; they gaped and
were evidently suffering; yet they would not throw up the fish. About
the time the young of this species are nearly able to fly, they are
killed in considerable numbers on their breeding grounds, skinned
and salted for the settlers and resident fishermen of Labrador and
Newfoundland, at which latter place I saw piles of them. When they
are able to shift for themselves, their parents completely abandon
them, and old and young go separately in search of food.
The flight of the Great Black-backed Gull is firm, steady, at times
elegant, rather swift, and long protracted. While travelling, it
usually flies at the height of fifty or sixty yards, and proceeds in
a direct course, with easy regulated flappings. Should the weather
prove tempestuous, this Gull, like most others, skims over the surface
of the waters or the land within a few yards or even feet, meeting
the gale, but not yielding to it, and forcing its way against the
strongest wind. In calm weather and sunshine, at all seasons of the
year, it is fond of soaring to a great height, where it flies about
leisurely and with considerable elegance for half an hour or so, in the
manner of eagles, vultures, and ravens. Now and then, while pursuing
a bird of its own species, or trying to escape from an enemy, it
passes through the air with rapid boundings, which, however, do not
continue long, and as soon as they are over it rises and slowly sails
in circles. When man encroaches on its domains, it keeps over him at
a safe distance, not sailing so much as moving to either side with
continued flappings. To secure the fishes on which it more usually
preys, it sweeps downwards with velocity, and as it glides over the
spot, picks up its prey with its bill. If the fish be small, the Gull
swallows it on wing, but if large, it either alights on the water,
or flies to the nearest shore to devour it.
Although a comparatively silent bird for three-fourths of the year,
the Great Black-backed Gull becomes very noisy at the approach
of the breeding season, and continues so until the young are well
fledged, after which it resumes its silence. Its common notes, when
it is interrupted or surprised, sound like _cack, cack, cack_. While
courting, they are softer and more lengthened, and resemble the
syllables _cawah_, which are often repeated as it sails in circles
or otherwise, within view of its mate or its place of abode.
This species walks well, moving firmly and with an air of importance.
On the water it swims lightly but slowly, and may soon be overtaken by
a boat. It has no power of diving, although at times, when searching
for food along the shores, it will enter the water on seeing a crab or
a lobster, to seize it, in which it at times succeeds. I saw one at
Labrador plunge after a large crab in about two feet of water, when,
after a tug, it hauled it ashore, where it devoured it in my sight.
I watched its movements with a glass, and could easily observe how
it tore the crab to pieces, swallowed its body, leaving the shell and
the claws, after which it flew off to its young and disgorged before
them.
It is extremely voracious, and devours all sorts of food excepting
vegetables, even the most putrid carrion, but prefers fresh fish, young
birds, or small quadrupeds, whenever they can be procured. It sucks
the eggs of every bird it can find, thus destroying great numbers of
them, as well as the parents, if weak or helpless. I have frequently
seen these Gulls attack a flock of young Ducks while swimming beside
their mother, when the latter, if small, would have to take to wing,
and the former would all dive, but were often caught on rising to
the surface, unless they happened to be among rushes. The Eider Duck
is the only one of the tribe that risks her life, on such occasions,
to save that of her young. She will frequently rise from the water,
as her brood disappear beneath, and keep the Gull at bay, or harass
it until her little ones are safe under some shelving rocks, when
she flies off in another direction, leaving the enemy to digest his
disappointment. But while the poor Duck is sitting on her eggs in
any open situation, the marauder assails her, and forces her off,
when he sucks the eggs in her very sight. Young Grous are also the
prey of this Gull, which chases them over the moss-covered rocks, and
devours them before their parents. It follows the shoals of fishes
for hours at a time, and usually with great success. On the coast
of Labrador, I frequently saw these birds seize flounders on the
edges of the shallows; they often attempted to swallow them whole,
but, finding this impracticable, removed to some rock, beat them,
and tore them to pieces. They appear to digest feathers, bones, and
other hard substances with ease, seldom disgorging their food, unless
for the purpose of feeding their young or mates, or when wounded and
approached by man, or when pursued by some bird of greater power.
While at Boston in Massachusetts, one cold winter morning, I saw one
of these Gulls take up an eel, about fifteen or eighteen inches in
length, from a mud bank. The Gull rose with difficulty, and after
some trouble managed to gulp the head of the fish, and flew towards
the shore with it, when a White-headed Eagle made its appearance, and
soon overtook the Gull, which reluctantly gave up the eel, on which
the Eagle glided towards it, and, seizing it with its talons, before
it reached the water, carried it off.
This Gull is excessively shy and vigilant, so that even at Labrador
we found it difficult to procure it, nor did we succeed in obtaining
more than about a dozen old birds, and that only by stratagem. They
watched our movements with so much care as never to fly past a rock
behind which one of the party might be likely to lie concealed. None
were shot near the nests when they were sitting on their eggs, and
only one female attempted to rescue her young, and was shot as she
accidentally flew within distance. The time to surprise them was during
violent gales, for then they flew close to the tops of the highest
rocks, where we took care to conceal ourselves for the purpose. When
we approached the rocky islets on which they bred, they left the place
as soon as they became aware of our intentions, cackled and barked
loudly, and when we returned, followed us at a distance more than a
mile.
They begin to moult early in July. In the beginning of August the
young were seen searching for food by themselves, and even far apart.
By the 12th of that month they had all left Labrador. We saw them
afterwards along the coast of Newfoundland, and while crossing the
Gulf of St Lawrence, and found them over the bays of Nova Scotia,
as we proceeded southward. When old, their flesh is tough and unfit
for food. Their feathers are elastic, and good for pillows and such
purposes, but can rarely be procured in sufficient quantity.
The most remarkable circumstance relative to these birds is, that
they either associate with another species, giving rise to a hybrid
brood, or that when very old they lose the dark colour of the back,
which is then of the same tint as that of the _Larus argentatus_,
or even lighter. This curious fact was also remarked by the young
gentlemen who accompanied me to Labrador; and although it is impossible
for me to clear up the doubts that may be naturally entertained on
this subject, whichever of the two suppositions is adopted, the fact
may yet be established and accounted for by persons who may have
better opportunities of watching them and studying their habits. No
individuals of _Larus argentatus_ were, to my knowledge, seen on that
coast during the three months which I passed there, and the fishermen
told us that the “saddle-backs were the only large Gulls that ever
breed there.”
This bird must be of extraordinary longevity, as I have seen one
that was kept in a state of captivity more than thirty years. The
following very interesting account of the habits of a partially
domesticated individual I owe to my esteemed and learned friend Dr
NEILL of Edinburgh.